Sephora Sample Wonderland: SUPER PORE KILLER EXPERIMENT

To be honest, when I talk to the associates at Sephora, I really take EVERYTHING with a huge grain of sand. Sometimes a boulder of sand. But really, the advice that they give out is not always the best, nor applicable towards my skin. It's really important not to just feed in and think what they say is by the book, especially when labels note otherwise.

Getting another Glamglow SuperMud mask sample as well as three days worth of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Peel Extra Strength Daily Peel, has given me the guts to try Fiddy Snails's "Super Pore Killer" method, which these two ingredients would be great for. Plus, I have an Eve Lom cleanser sample I would love to try out.

However, I am nervous about trying out multiple products at once since two out of three will be new. Either way, trying out anything that is supposed to be a "super pore killer" is going to be terrifying in my eyes. On my face, rather. Let me put on my purple ears headband and get to work.

While I'm doing that-- follow-up from last week:

ONE IMPORTANT THING I noticed, after the last Clay Mask SSH (Sephora Sample Wonderland) Experiment, was that the right side of my face... on the chin at least, I had MORE defined sebaceous filaments. Yes, those pores got bigger, darker, and more pronounced on only HALF of my chin. It was the side where I tried Glam glow, it was also the side that I tried the Kakadu C Amethyst mask. WHAT MADE THEM POP UP?!? It had to be a product because the line between regular pores and new big pores is just so definitive, it's almost ridiculous.

Continuing on with the Super Pore Killer Experiment brought to you by Sephora Sample Wonderland and a Fiddy Snails Post:

Step 1: Apply the AHA/BHA whatever it is that is going to loosen the sebum. The Dr. Dennis Gross soaked pads made my face a little red, but half is from my rubbing my face down, and the other half is from the face that I am rubbing my face down more harshly over my "problem spots," aka, my schnoze.

Happy Ears and Clogged Pores!

Mistake 1: Did NOT wait 20-25 minutes for the thing to do its thang as Fiddy Snails directed. Honestly, it was not a stridex pad and my skin felt dry as bone after a minute or two of doing it. Since it's a two step peel, I feel like the first step was where Stridex would have stopped and the second step stopped it. Who knows.

Step 2: Apply clay mask. SuperMud is coming into play here. It is only on my problem spots as I do not need to apply it to my whole face. It is drying, I am five minutes into a very thin layer that has already dried on what portion of my forehead I have applied it to.

Wet, Dry, Up Close and Personal

Mistake 2: Not using tepid/lukewarm water to wash off the mask... The sink in my bathroom has a new faucet and I have not yet mastered the temperature. It was lukewarm when I started rinsing the mask off my face... and then it got hot really fast. Good thing I was just about done with the mask, but it didn't help that it was hot by the end of the rinsing. Also, my skin did not feel overly dry, another good indicator, I hope.

Step 3: Apply cleansing oil/carrier oil. Fiddy Snails uses Banila Co, which I couldn't bring myself to purchase at Incheon Duty Free. However, as I noted above, I have Eve Lom Cleanser, which the first ingredient is mineral oil, so it satisfies the oil need. There are these little bumps in my Eve Lom, but once I applied it in a gentle way to my face, they disappeared. The Eve Lom cleanser is a sort of cleansing balm, and feel like I'm rubbing that naturally smelly kind of mineral oil on my face. It becomes kind of liquidy once it hits the heat of my face. Still waiting 10-15 minerals before I see if I have any "grits" though I doubt it. Hmm, my lips feel dry. That's odd.

Step 4: Gently massage for 2-3 minutes. No Grits. Just Oil On My Face Being Rubbed In Circles. Oil. Oil. More Oil. Milky Oily. Ew, Rinse Said Oil.

Step 5: Take a look at the work that's been done. Are my pores minimized? Have they been SUPER KILLED?! I do feel like I took the skin that is my face and put a layer of plastic wrap and wrapped it back on to my face. It is a shiny and tight as it looks and feels. No after pictures, they all came out blurry and out of focus-- I think the shine was throwing it off.

Mistake 3: Maybe it's not a mistake, but this is the first time that I have used a clay mask and not instantly used a sheet mask to compensate for the sucking outtage of oils from said face. However, I felt like the Eve Lom cleanser was very oily and balanced it out a bit more. Still using and I am going to use up my Nature Republic Combination Watery Cream. We will see how my poor face fares tomorrow.

The Dreaded T-Zone is back!

So I've been really happy and satisfied with Nature Republic's Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream because I wake up feeling fresh.

Perhaps it's the rainy weather? Maybe it's because I slept less than six hours, or maybe touched my face my hands after I lotioned my legs before sleeping.... but it's back, the dreaded oily T-zone upon waking is back!

Maybe it just takes a month or so for my skin to get used to a product before the oily T-zone is back and making my mornings greasier than I would like them to be.

However, as always, I am going to give it the benefit of the doubt and keep using this cream for another week. If results are consistent and I wake up a greasy T-zone, it's time to take a look at what other options I have in my "Skincare Wardrobe".

Options:

• Go back to Donkey Milk even though I know it gives me a greasy T-zone.
• Stay and finish the Nature Republic Combination Watery Cream.
• Move on to another cream. Do I have another cream? I have a Sephora gift card.
• Use The Guerission 9-Complex mini that I have, even though I just think it's "meh" and I have only used it on my hands so far.
• Nature Republic Royal Ginseng Jelly Cream. Will probably incorporate the Essence into my routine as well.
• Mizon All-In-One Snail Cream (which I bought in Taiwan and keep forgetting that I have)

However, next from Sephora Sample Wonderland:

DERMAdoctor Kakadu C Amethyst Clay Detox Mask 

versus 

Caudalie Instant Detox Mask

I do have my concerns about the Kakadu C Amethyst Clay Detox mask since the sample that I received was taken from the last of the jar and may only produce enough to run a single test run versus the double test run that I did with the last two masks. Also, is this product old? Why were there no more on the shelf and why is it only this almost used up one there?

We'll just have to see.

Skincare Routine Mondays: Feb 1, 2016

1. Oil Cleanser: None. Still none. I am bad at this.
2. Water-based Cleanser: Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. This was a Christmas present from my friend, and I really love it. It gets milky the same way that oil cleansers get milky, but because you wet your face before using, it gets milky as you massage it around your face. I use a pinky-nail's worth of cleanser and it goes such a long way. So far, I LOVE IT. It's the first cleanser that doesn't make my face tight and it feels clean, yet moisturized. 
3. Toner: Missha's Clear Toner (in the Time Revolution Starter Set).
4. Serum or essence: Not quite an essence/serum, but a "First" Essence-- Missha's The First Treatment Essence (in the Time Revolution Starter Set).
5. Moisturizer. 
      AM: Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer SPF 30. But sometimes I just use my PM cream with Biore's Watery Essence PA 50+++. Depends on how greasy I  feel.  PM : Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream.

I've really calmed it down with trying to maintain my samples of "liquid gold" (aka SKII Repair Treatment C). Can I tell a difference? Not really. Hahahahaha. Oh my gosh, how much am I spending on things that may or may not actually have an effect?!

Have a random pimple on my left cheek (totally in the middle, like one red dot in the vast desert of my left cheek) and my chin area feels greasy and pimple-prone. What is up with my face. When I used the masks on Sunday I made sure to follow-up with a nutrient-rich mask. Tested out My Beauty Diary's Imperial Birds Nest and it's great. Best quality mask in that it's pretty see-through, keeps it's wetness for a prolonged period, and feels great.

HAUL HAUL HAUL HAUL HAUL HAUL HAUL HAUL

I really should have taken a picture before I squished everything into my luggage, but still, MAJOR HAUL TIME.

MASKS GALORE!
DUTY FREE IS STILL NOT THE BEST PRICE!!
IMPULSE BUYS!

Items purchased in Duty Free (which is cheaper if you can order it online first and pick it up later, which I foolishly did not do):

• Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick 80g Cleanser Stick ($20 USD)
• The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil ($7 USD)
• Tonymoly Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm 30g (~$7 USD)
• Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream (~$10 USD)
• The Face Shop Chia Seed Watery SET ($24 USD)
• The Face Shop Real Nature Mask Pomegranate 10 Sheets ($8 USD)
• Laneige - Water Sleeping Mask ($21 USD)
• Nature Republic Ginseng Royal Silk Watery Cream 60g which came with an Essence I don't remember what exactly ($44 USD)

Items purchased in Taiwan:

• BIORE UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence - SPF50 PA++ 50ml (~$7.50 USD)
• My Beauty Diary - Imperial Bird's Nest Mask (10pcs) (~$6.25 USD)
• My Beauty Diary - Black Pearl Mask (10pcs) (~$6.25 USD)
• Daiso Japan Reusable Silicon Mask Cover for Sheet Mask (White) x2 (~$1.25 USD each)
• Etude House Collagen Eye Patch (x6) (~$1 USD each)
• Etude House I Need You Assorted Mask Sheets: Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Pomegranate, Vita Complex, Coenzyme Q10, Korean Ginseng, Snail , Damask Rose, Korean Strawberry, Silk Cocoon (~$1 USD each)
• Mizon - All in One Snail Repair Cream (75ml) (~$15 USD)
• LoveMore Pearl Barley & Milk Smoothing Mask (~$3.25 USD)
• LoveMore Rosa Hybrida Whitening Mask ($3.25 USD)
• Girls Face Washing Headband, Purple With Ears!! (~$2 USD) Not exactly the same as the link, but you get the gist. 
• Guerisson 9 Complex Cream 20g (~$6 USD) Usually you only ever see the 70g one for $20 or more. Oddly enough they had a small size of it in Taiwan and I thought that would be enough to try it out.
• My Scheming Masks (~$.80 USD each)
• NRK Masks (~1.25 USD Each)
• Esfolio Volcanic Ash (x2) and Snail Essence (x2) (~$.50 USD each)

Skincare Routine as of January 11, 2016

NEW YEAR, NEW HAUL

It's been a CRAZY month, with Christmas, going to Taiwan, and, sadly, coming back home. Taiwan is really the home I chose and there's nothing that can compare.

That being said, my skin routine has been tweaked and partially neglected these past two weeks. Taiwan weather doesn't call for the use of a moisturizer as thick as Aveeno, and I ended up using some new products I bought instead.

1. Water Wash
2. Missha Clear Toner
3. Missha First Essence
4. Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream
5. Biore Watery Essence PA 50+++

It's been a rough two weeks of fun, food, and exercise. However, my poor skin has been breaking out around the edges that it was time to use some of the masks I bought upon my return. Changes in atmosphere, humidity, temperature, and jet lag all have taken their toll on my skin. My poor ever-pale skin.

So right now I am adjusting to this less humid weather and going back to a routine more similar.

1. Wash Rinse
2. Missha Clear Toner
3. Missha First Essence
4. SKII Repair C (aka liquid gold I sample from Sephora)
5. AM: Aveeno SPF 30 Moisturizer
5. PM: Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream

Last night I used My Beauty Diary's Black Pearl Mask and I have to say, I am happy with it. My skin has broken out, but it doesn't feel that way right now. It feels smooth, dewy, and irritation free! Yay.

First Impressions Fridays: Missha Time Revolution's Clear Toner and FTE

There is one thing that I just don't really get, what is the difference between dewy and greasy?

Dewy means your skin is plump, but is there a hint of sheen to it? Greasy is synonymous with bad things like pimples and smelly hair, but when is sheen too much sheen and just greasy looking?

My first impressions after using the toner and FTE is that it does make a difference. Even though I feel like I am splashing my face with a yeasty smelling water, and then splashing it with some more water (FTE's consistency), I do feel like my skin is lighter and more supple than when I had no used it prior.

This morning though, when I put on the Nature Republic sunscreen I felt like my skin was not taking it as well. It was TOO supple, TOO moisturized. Is that when it becomes greasy? Maybe I never noticed it before, but I felt like after putting on my moisturizer, my face had had enough. Like it didn't want any more layers to it.

Anyway, this is day one, second use, and at night it's fine (though I do still wake up with an oily-ish T-zone, my U-zone is properly hydrated). We will see what happens as the two weeks wear on.

NPE!! Nature Republic Provence Calendula Perfect Sun Block SPF50+ PA+++

So sometimes I get gimmicked into buying things from a sale person. Today was one of those days.

Nature Republic was having their sale that supposedly was supposed to end today. There was a large sunscreen I was looking at, their Sun Block Provence Calendula SPF 50 PA+++. It was marked down 50% from 29.90. 50%? Not bad. The girl chatted me up for a bit and tried to push other items on me, but I wasn't having it. However, with the recent disappointment in Clinique City Block, I was ready for another sunscreen, even though this one had a bit of a white finish.

Initially I was very sad because as soon as I did some research, I thought that I could have gotten this sun block for a couple bucks cheaper. Jolse via Amazon sells it for $14, an ebay seller is selling it for a penny less, and Cosmetic Love sells it for 16 cents cheaper than that.

However, note that the Nature Republic USA website is selling it at 20.90, but at the full 150 ML not the 57 ml linked above. (Found it via Jolse too for 16.98.) So I guess I got a pretty good deal since I did get the 150ml bottle. I do need all 150 ml (5.07 ounces) because I am pale as anything and need sun care all year long. Yes, I even bring it around in my purse on those awfully sunny days.

Due to the fact that I do not see it often online, and the fact that there are no ingredients listed (the box I purchased has it listed in Korean and English) here are the CosDNA results (I added to their website) and the ingredients:

Water, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Butylene Glycol, Ethlhexyl Palmitate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxode (Cl 77891), Glycerin, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, Ethylhexyl salicylate, Alcohol Denat., Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water, Glycol stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Triceteareth-4 phosphate, Glycol stearate, Silica, Sorbitan sesquioleate, Potassium cetyl phosphate, PEG-2 Stearate, Acrylates/ C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Glyceryl caprylate, Tromethamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance

(Many thanks to CosDNA because after I manually typed out the first four ingredients, I thought I was going to die.)

We will see how this goes and hopefully I am not allergic to it, because with it having a white cast, I don't know who else would want it. I am one the palest people I know, and of my pale friends, I am one of the most obsessive sunscreen apply-ers that I know. This will take over from the Clinique City Block SPF 40, which is tinted and therefore feels like I am wearing make-up, especially when I blot my face with a wet paper towel. (Yuck.)

Update May 2016: Has a very white cast, but smells nice. I use it for my arms every now and again when I remember. It's greasier and reminds me of Western sunscreen, only it doesn't smell like Western sunscreen. Would not purchase again. I'd rather have Hawaiian Tropic's SPF which moisturizes like lotion, smells great, but can take the ink right off plastic grocery bags.